Punjab Study

Rawalpindi:April 10:Each year, during the ‘Sports Week’ that focuses on competitions of extra-curricular activities which are part of the curriculum of the Army Medical College (AMC), parliamentary debates are also organised which deal with issues or other subjects of interest.
These are hotly and very knowledgably contested by the teams from various ‘companies’ of the college, both by boys and girls. The event is managed by the students (young ‘doctors to be’) themselves, and they are given just an hour to prepare their arguments for and against the motion.
The debate was held in the Ayub Auditorium of the college which was packed with students, all of whom were eager to support the contestants from their company — the atmosphere of excitement almost palpable. After the chief guest, Lt. Gen (r) Kamal Akbar — ex-surgeon general and principal army medical college — had arrived, the programme began with a recitation from the Holy Quran. The judges for the event were a veteran correspondent, Ms. Hyatt and renowned newscaster, Prof. Shaista Zaid.

The presidents for the debate were both final year students, Jawaad Qureshi and Sadaf Irshad both excellent debaters and winners of contests in previous years. The vice presidents were Fahad Shakil, Hasan Tariq and Ayesha Rahman. The topic for the debate was, ‘Culture is the most important factor in a nation’s stability’ — a subject that can lead to a myriad of ‘for’ and ‘against’ arguments!

The debate was fiery and it was interesting to hear the contestants voice their opinion in a forceful and well researched manner — it showed that despite their hectic study schedule, these young people are aware of and do take an interest in what is going on in the country. In the final analysis, Nisar-e-Fatima Changezi and Sidra Riaz from Ayesha Company were adjudged the best speakers, with sound arguments for the opposition and proposition respectively, so their company was awarded the first position and won the trophy — needless to say amidst cheers and slogans from their supporters! The runner up team for the event was Razi Company, represented by Daniyal Kamal and Hamza Jahangeer, who were also cheered vociferously by their colleagues.

In conclusion the chief guest was asked to say a few words, which he did with a touch of seriousness and a sprinkle of humour. Shaista Zaid also addressed the gathering.

During the tea break that followed there was an informal discussion about what was said — or not — during the debate. It is noticed that students of the AMC are generally well behaved and polite while having a sense of responsibility and respect for their elders - something that is quite apparent when you interact with them on various occasions. This proves that despite the fact that some people object to the disciplinary rules of military educational institutions, it is good they are part of the system because they teach self discipline as well - for as someone once said, ‘true freedom is impossible without a mind made free by discipline.’The news.